


I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

by Kamechan98



Category: Avengers (Comics), Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Female Tony Stark, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Insecure Steve Rogers, Insecure Tony, Janet is the best friend, Love at First Sight, Meet-Cute, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Relationship, Sam and Bucky are so done with Steve, Sort Of, Steve goes to MIT, Tags will be updated as we go along, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark and Janet Van Dyne are best friends, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-19 04:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20651372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamechan98/pseuds/Kamechan98
Summary: "From the moment Steve had first seen Antonia “Toni” Elizabeth Stark there had been a very, very strong interest."A series of fics about Toni and Steve, from their first meeting between these two and through every important mile stone in their relationship, like first date, meeting the parents and moving in together and beyond.





	1. First Meeting And Love At First Sight - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, my first attempt at multiple chapters. So, this one probably won’t have much of a story, but I figured I already have a good long series with my Stony Prompt series, I wanted to make these into a multiple chapters since they will all be connected. 
> 
> Also, while I love Tony very, very much as he is, I am a sucker for female Tony Stark. I don’t know why, I just love it. Maybe because in the only universe where he and Steve are married in canon, she’s a woman or because I love the idea of Tony being a genius, successful and amazing while also being a woman.

From the moment Steve had first seen Antonia “Toni” Elizabeth Stark there had been a very, very strong interest.

He had been working at the time. It was Wednesday, which meant he had no classes, which in turn meant he had a shift at the Starbucks close by MIT, so off to work he went. And it had been a very calm day. Sure, there was always the morning rush, where students or early workers came running in to get their coffee and maybe some breakfast before rushing off to classes or work, but after that it been a very slow day. Which, hey, it was always nice every once in a while to have a little peace and quiet, but he usually liked for _something_ to happen before he had to leave for the day.

Bucky came in around lunch, just like he always did. He claimed he liked to have some coffee while he studied but he usually ended up talking more with Steve or Sam, the other part-time worker at this shop, whom he’d really hit it off with, than doing any actual school work. This day he had his laptop under his arm and his book bag slung over his shoulder, practically dead on his feet as he sat down by the counter and rested his head on his arms.

Steve smirked without looking up from the napkin he had started to sketch on to help pass the time before more costumers would come in and hopefully time would go a little faster. “Hey, Buck. Feeling lively today, are we?”

Bucky just groaned and moaned “Coffee…” into his arms. “Need it now.” Steve snorted and put down his pen and grabbed a big mug and filled it with newly brewed coffee with a few drops of milk and two sugars, just like Bucky always wanted it. He also got a freshly baked blueberry scone out on a plate before placing it by his best friend’s arms.

“Eat. You look like you need the energy.” Bucky muttered his thanks into his arms before sitting up and took a long sip of his coffee and groaning almost erotically in the mug. Steve snorted and rolled his eyes at his best friend before going back to his sketching.

“So, how are the studies going?” Bucky groaned again and took a huge bite of his blueberry scone. His long brown hair was shaggy and he looked like he hadn’t slept very well.

“I hate college, Steve. If these exams don’t kill me this insane schedule will! I swear, I’m getting no sleep these days; all I do is study all day and all night! And that's not even mentioning the amount of money I've had to pay for everything! Why the hell did I ever think this was a good idea?” Steve smirked and looked up from his drawing.

“Because you want a good future and for that to happen you need to go to college and get an education? And maybe you wouldn’t have to study so hard if you didn’t spend so much time checking out girls in class.” Bucky glared at him and sipped on more coffee.

“Oh fuck you, Steve. At least I’m getting some action with the ladies man, that’s more than can be said about you. Are you planning on ever actually going on a date, ever? Seriously, you’re almost twenty and you’ve never gone on a date!” Steve rolled his eyes. _‘Here we go again.’_

“Well, unlike you I actually value my education and future. I need to get good grades in order to get where I want to go in life. And besides,” He looked up from his drawing again. “you and I both now that girls didn’t so much as look at me before senior year. And I don’t want a girl to like me just for my body.”

Bucky rolled his eyes harder and opened his laptop and grabbed one of his books from his bag. “Oh yeah, how could I forget? _‘Stevie wants someone to love him for him’_. What are you, a Disney Princess?”

Steve just ignored him and went back to his drawing when he heard the bell above the door chime as the door opened so he straightened up to greet the customer and-

Holy Shamoly…

The girl who walked in was breathtakingly beautiful. She had long, slightly curly dark hair that was tied into a ponytail, dressed in ripped black jeans, a Black Sabbath tank top and sneakers, with a bag slung over her shoulder. She had big brown eyes, tanned skin and her body was built like a goddess, strong, graceful and curvy in all the right places.

“Wow.” Steve said under his breath as she came up to the counter and sat down beside Bucky, putting her bag down by her feet and resting her arms on the counter.

“Hi there, Blondie.” Steve swallowed, shook his head to clear his thoughts and licked his lips.

“Uh, hi.” Bucky looked up from his laptop and eyed the girl before turning back to his work. Steve swallowed again and walked up to her. “So, uh… can I get you anything?” The girl raised her eyebrow at him and smirked, amused.

“Nah, I just like walking into coffee shops and sit down by the counter just because.” Her smirk widened. “I’m kinda quirky like that.”

Bucky, who’d just raised his mug to his mouth to drink, snorted into his coffee, causing it to drip over the edges of the mug and down onto the counter and his laptop. Steve blushed and tried to laugh it off, while glaring over at Bucky as subtly as possible.

“Uh, yes of course, how stupid of me.” He cleared his throat and tried to smile his ‘Customer Service Smile’ while pretending he wasn’t trying not to stare at her. “So, what can I get you?”

She smiled, a bit more genuinely. “A café latte, double shot of Espresso and soymilk. And I’ll get a croissant too, I missed lunch today.” Steve nodded and tried to smile as naturally as possible. He turned back to make the latte, he tried to come up with something to say that wasn’t lame.

“So, are you a student too?” He eventually said and turned to look at her. She had taken out her phone and started play around with it, before looking up and smiling at him.

“Oh yeah, I go to MIT. It’s my freshman year, engineering program.” Steve smiled back, bringing over the latte and croissant.

“I go there too. Though I’m a sophomore, and I’m not an engineer. I’m an artist.” She smirked at him.

“Yeah? Are you any good?” And before he could react, she reached out and snatched the napkin he had been sketching on and looked it over. Her face softened a little as she looked at his little drawing and when she looked up again she looked more genuine. “This is good. You drew this?”

Steve blushed and nodded, a bit embarrassed. “Uh, yeah but that’s just… I mean, I wasn’t really-“ Bucky looked up from his laptop and leaned over her shoulder to get a look at the napkin. He smirked a little and leaned sat back properly in his seat.

“If you think that’s good toots, you should see his paintings. Or, you know, when he’s actually trying. He’s much, much better when he’s actually putting effort into it.” Steve glared at him but the girl just smirked at him.

“Well, thank you for the tip, Shaggy. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.” She then turned back to Steve with a softer smile. “But seriously, for ‘not really trying’ this is good. Way too good to be ‘doodles’ in my own inartistic opinion.”

Steve’s face softened and he smiled back, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. “Uh thanks.” He reached out his hand to her to shake. “Steve Rogers, by the way.”

She smirked again. “Yeah, I know.” She gestured to his shirt. “You know you have a nametag, right?” Steve blushed again and looked down at his shirt where his nametag was, indeed, visible for everyone to see and read his name. She laughed and took his hand and shook it. “Antonia Stark, call me Toni, most people do.”

He smiled and slowly retracted his hand as she let go of his, taking her latte and taking a sip from it. She hummed approvingly and when she lowered the cup she had a latte foam mustache on her upper lip. Steve snorted a little at the sight and she smirked at him before licking it away and taking a bite from her croissant.

Steve suddenly felt a little unsure what to do next and moved to wipe the counter, despite it already being clean, aside from Bucky having spilled a few drops of coffee when he laughed before. But it was better than just standing awkwardly and stare at her like an idiot. But he could feel her eyes on him and he almost made a bit of a show of himself as he stretched and wiped the counter top in certain places instead of walking across the space.

Bucky stared at him over his laptop and mouthed, _‘Say something you moron!’_ at him before turning back to his work, and Steve swallowed. Say something? Like Steve had _ever_ been _any_ good at talking to girls, before or after his growth spurt, when he'd gone from 5 foot 4 inches to 6 foot 1 inches and muscles started to pop up over his whole body. He turned around and saw Toni shamelessly staring at his ass, sipping at her latte and with a coy smirk.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you staring at my butt?” She looked up at him with shrugged, still smiling like a little imp.

“Just admiring the view, Hot stuff. Nothing wrong with looking.” And Steve felt he should be offended. He’d said before that he didn’t like women only talking or showing interest in him because of his muscles, but with Toni, it suddenly felt okay. Maybe because she was admitting to it where most girls tried to act like they weren’t. Or maybe because she had complimented his art before shamelessly staring at him. He didn’t know, but he didn’t really care, which felt a little strange.

He walked over to her, trying be be suave and rested his elbows on the counter, looking her straight in the eyes. “Well in that case, Miss Stark, if I may say so, you are a quite fine specimen yourself.” She laughed softly and leaned in closer to him, her smile seductive.

“Yeah? Why thank you, Mr. Rogers. Nice to know you appreciate the view.” He laughed back before she leaned back a little and checked the time on her phone. She groaned and started to get up from her seat.

“Shit, I have to go. I’m already late to meet up with a friend.” She dug into her bag and placed a few bills on the counter and drank the remaining latte in the mug before grabbing he croissant. She smiled at him and winked. “See you around, Rogers.” Then she turned around and left the room shop.

Steve stood there, frozen behind the counter and stared after her. _What_ had just happened? Had she flirted with him? Had _he_ flirted _back_? And _how_ had _that_ happened, he was notorious for being _terrible_ at flirting or even _talking_ to girls!

Bucky smirked at him and finished his coffee, placing it loudly on the counter to wake him up from his daze. “Well, looks like you’ve got yourself an admirer, Stevie.” He waved the mug at him. “Refill?”

* * *

"Seriously man, just ask her out already! I have grown _so_ sick of watching you drool over the counter every time she comes in here, just put me out of my misery and _ask her out for God's sake!_" Steve looked up from the cups he was sorting and looked at Sam, who had just finished his shift and was now sitting by the counter with his own cup of coffee and textbooks out, ready to study. He looked very tired and at done for the day and Steve got the feeling it wasn’t just because of a very busy shift and having to study for exams.

Steve rolled his eyes and refilled the coffee machine with beans. “There’s nothing to ask, Sam. We’re just friends.” Sam rolled his eyes back and shook his head, muttering something about ‘_oblivious morons’_ and _‘stupid motherfucker.’_

And yeah, as much he liked to try and fool his friends, he couldn’t deny his growing feelings for Toni.

Toni had started to come to the Starbucks regularly whenever Steve was working a shift and they could talk for hours, with Steve having to break away from her every now and then to tend to costumers. And with time they started to meet up at MIT, seeing each other in corridors or at meeting in the library and starting studying together on certain days. Well, Steve studied and Toni would distract him with unending chatter, either about classes or stupid classmates or professors or whatever crossed her mind. And as much as Steve acted like he was annoyed at her talking, he secretly loved it. Especially when she talked about her projects or ideas for projects. She was just so excited and happy and full of passion about it that it was hard not to get swept up in her enthusiasm.

And that was what really drew Steve in. Sure, she was beautiful, there was no denying that, but now that he had gotten to know her he had fallen for her hook line and sinker. She was scary smart; a genius in the making and Steve had no doubt she was going to change the world with her brilliant mind and amazing creations. She was witty and funny and always had a good response to everything, either making people laugh or taking apart any argument people were having with her. She was confident, owned every room she walked in to and even when she said weird or nonsensical things she could make you believe it wasn't.

And the most amazing about her: she took no shit from anyone. Whether it be professors or classmates or- and especially- men trying to silence her or demean her, she always knew how to handle them and make them feel humiliated or demeaned instead. Steve would always remember that day when he saw Justin Hammer trying to tell her how _'women should be seen and not heard'_ or _'leave the thinking to the men' _or_ 'how she was only here because of Daddy's money and influence'_ or some other crap like that that belonged somewhere back in the 1940's, and Steve had moved to intervene only for Toni to lay into him, how he had inferior grades compared to hers, how his inventions always malfunctioned or were bad copies of hers and how his father's company was on the verge of collapse while Stark Industries was thriving and making billions every year. And when he still refused to leave her alone and tried to put his hands on her, she had pulled off one of her very high and sharp heels and placed it against his throat, threatening to castrate him with it if he didn't leave yesterday.

Steve was pretty sure Justin wet his pants before he finally turned tail and booked it out of there like a dog with its tail between his legs.

It had been one of the most amazing things Steve had seen.

Toni Stark was a whirlwind, an adorable spitfire and she had taken his heart hostage from the first day he'd seen her.

So yeah, Steve had really fallen for her. But he couldn’t tell if Toni was feeling the same way, because she- as he had learned quickly- flirted with a lot of people. Sure, she could flirt with him for hours and give him cute nicknames or say suggestive things to him, but he had no idea if she did that to other guys.

“Okay look, I get you being all self-conscious and all, with her being the first girl who’s given you the time of day or whatever, but I’m telling you, if you ask her on a date she’ll say yes! She likes you, I can tell. You gotta take a chance already.”

Steve shook his head and poured himself a coffee. “I can’t Sam. I really like her and I don’t want my first real friend who is a girl to not like me. And really, I’m fine with her just being my friend. I can live with that. Besides, she’s way out of my league anyway.”

Sam eyed him with a raised eyebrow, head tilted to the side. “What do you mean, out of your league? What, because she’s hot and smart she can’t like you? You’re hot too and you’re not an exactly a moron you know.”

Steve raised an eyebrow back at his friend. “Are you kidding me right now? Do you know who she is? Antonia Elizabeth Stark, daughter of Howard Stark? Billionaire, genius and CEO of one of the most successful Tech conglomerates in the world? And she is clearly gonna take over that one day and revolutionize the world one day with her own genius.” He looked Sam right in the eyes and suddenly felt like a dog left out in the rain.

He gestured to himself dejectedly. “And then there’s me. Steve Rogers, scrappy kid from Brooklyn with no money, a bit above average intelligence and have been studying Art for almost two years and has nothing to offer anyone.”

Because wasn't that the clincher? It had taken a few times of talking to her before the penny had finally dropped and he realized that she was a Howard Stark's only child and was not only rich, a genius and powerful but also the heiress to Stark Industries throne.

In other words, she was a Queen in the making and he was nothing but a nobody from the working class.

“Steve…” Sam tried to interrupt but Steve was on a roll.

“I got no business being anywhere near someone like Toni. She’s destined to meet and marry some other genius or a lawyer or a doctor or some other successful businessman out there. She can literally have her pick with anyone!”

“Steve, seriously-“ Sam was looking somewhere over Steve’s shoulder, but Steve didn’t even notice, he was too into it.

“She and I are from entirely different worlds, she can have anything and anyone she wants! And I have nothing and I’ll probably not have much in the future either. I have-“ Steve cut himself, almost fighting back tears at this point. “I have nothing to offer her. What business do I have around someone like her?”

“Maybe you should ask her about that?”

Steve leapt out of his skin and turned around, wide eyes and jaw hanging open. Toni was standing right behind him, her hair in a messy bun, loose jeans and a white t-shirt a few sizes too big. She wasn’t dolled up or anything, she didn’t even have make-up, in fact she had some engine grease on her face and she was still so beautiful. She had probably been working on some project or some invention and had taken a break to talk with him and get a coffee. But she looked a little upset and he desperately wanted to wipe that frown of her face.

“Toni!” He heard Sam mutter from behind him “tried to tell you, man,” and he cleared his throat and licked his lips, wrecking his brain to come up with some to weasel out of the sticky situation he’d wound up in. “Um… How long have you been standing there?”

She leaned on the counter, looking him straight in the eyes. “Long enough to hear you think you’re not good enough to breathe the same air as me. That you think I’m too good for you.” And now she looked a little hurt, and Steve immediately felt bad at even the idea that he might have hurt her. “Is that what you think of me, Steve? You think I’m so swallow that I judge my friends by their bank account? Or how many facts they can cram into their heads? Or how successful they _might_ be ten years from now?”

“NO!” Steve almost yelled and had to take a deep breath so he wouldn’t cause a scene in the middle of a Starbucks. He might end up fired if he acted too crazy in here while still working. “No, of course not Toni, you’re not swallow, you’re amazing! You’re smart a-and funny and brave and-”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “And yet you felt the need to decide for me who is good enough for me? Like that choice isn’t up to me? Bruce Banner is a genius and going to change the world some day. Reed Richards is a genius and will be rich and famous one day. Justin Hammer is from a rich and somewhat powerful family. Do you see me hanging around them and trying to get dates out of them?”

Steve shook his head slowly. While she was very, very good friends with Bruce, it had been very clear that they were just friends.And while she flirted with him from time to time, it was very clear she was playing and joking with him more often than not and he had his interest elsewhere. She and Reed had been going at each other for months and she kept calling him 'a stuck up son-of a-bitch with his head shoved way too far up his own ass' and he called her 'a spoiled, pampered Daddy's girl with enough ego for it to be visible from Space', so they clearly didn't like each other.

And the less said about Justin Hammer, the better.

“No, no of course it’s up to you who you want to date or be friends with Toni, I am absolutely not trying to take that away from you. It’s your choice and no one else’s, but…” He trailed off and sighed. “I just… didn’t think you’d ever think want to date someone… someone like me. I don’t have much, I mean I barely get by as it is, but…”

His voice got stuck in his throat and he barely got the words out. But he’d gotten this far, he might as well get it out in the open at this point. He chocked back tears and tried to breathe deep and braced himself. “But I… really, _really_ like you Toni. I think I’ve liked you since that first day we met. And I’d really like to be more than your friend, to take you out on a date, and treat you right and make you feel special like you deserve and-“

Words suddenly failed him and he just stood there and stared at Toni. She stared right back at him, eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. His courage failed him and he made to turn back, save face while he still could and maybe hide in the employee bathroom and cry for a bit, when he felt a hand on his wrist, tugging him. Toni pulled him closer, until he was standing as close to her as he could, with only the counter separating them.

She looked at him with a soft smile and a few tears in her face. “What if I would like that? What if I like that ‘scrappy kid from Brooklyn?’ What if I want to be more than friends?” She took the hand she was still holding and clutched it in both hands. “What if I would like to give him a chance to sweep me off my feet?”

Steve was completely speechless. What? Was this happening? Was she saying yes? Did she want to give him an actual shot at showing how much he liked her? He didn’t find the words, his brain had gone off-line and he couldn’t think of anything good to say.

“Y-You… you mean it?” He eventually managed to croak out; sounding much more like a frog than a human, but she just smiled and held his hand tighter.

“Of course I do. Why do you think I keep bugging you at the library when you try to study? Why do you think I come here every day you work and sit her until you leave for the day? My attention and time is very valuable, Steve, I don’t give this much of it to just anyone.” She smirked teasingly at him. “Like you said yourself, I’m gonna be a household name one day and I can’t just spend too much time talking to low-life garbage that don’t matter. Like Hammer.”

That startled a laugh out of him and suddenly felt a bit more at ease. So he gathered up his courage and covered her hands with his own. “So… then, would you-“ He swallowed and licked his lips again. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, why was this so hard?

“Toni, would you like to… go out… on a date... with me?” He said it. He finally got it out. Hallelujah, he finally said it. At least it was finally out in the open. He was sweating like a pig and his face was probably beet red at this point, but at least he’d finally said it.

Toni smiled sweetly at him, her big brown eyes bright and full of emotion. “I would love to, Steve. How about we meet up here, maybe around 7pm?” Steve was so overwhelmed by finally asking her out and her answer that he couldn’t do more than nod and say, “Sure, I’ll be there.”

She smirked and leaned in close. “I’m counting on it, Rogers. Otherwise I’ll hunt you down and drag you out with me.” Then she leaned in closer and kissed Steve on the cheek, squeezed his hand before letting go and getting out of her seat, grabbing her bag.

“7pm, Rogers. Don’t be late.” Then she waved goodbye at Sam and left the Starbucks without another word.

Steve just stood there, frozen to the floor and staring after her, just like that day when he’d first met her. His hand slowly rose to his cheek where she’d kissed him and a big, wide and giddy smile spread across his face as he realized what had just happened.

He’d done it. He’d asked Toni Stark out on a date, and she’d said _yes_!

“Thank God, it finally happened!” Sam groaned from his seat, and Steve probably would have felt bad for kinda forgetting he was still there, but he was way too wrapped up in ‘Toni Stark wants to go on a date with me!’ to real care in the moment. “I can’t believe she practically had to make you ask her out, you’re such a wussy Rogers.”

Steve just sighed, moonily and just a tad dopily as he rested one arm on the counter and his head in his hand, staring out the windows after her. “She said yes, Sam. She actually said yes! And she kissed me! She kissed me on the cheek!” Sam nodded and flipped a page in his textbook.

“That’s all fine and good and I’m happy for you, I really am, but you’re still working a shift, you know.”

That finally jerked Steve out his dream-like state and realized a line had formed while he had been talking to Toni and now a lot of annoyed and frustrated and busy people were waiting to be served their coffee. He immediately started to apologize and started to take orders and even give a few discounts for their waiting and to keep them from bitching to his boss, but he still couldn’t wipe that stupid smile of his face.

_‘I’m taking her out somewhere special tonight, a nice restaurant, not too fancy but not too simple either. I’ll make her feel like a queen and I’ll show just how much I love her. It’ll be amazing!’_


	2. First Meeting And Love At First Sight - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni is both intrigued by Steve being different from every other guy she's met and flirted with and terrified at the same time, and after having landed a date with she promptly freaks out and needs Janet to rein her in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently I lied before. I said this chapter was going to be the first date, but then this chapter became so long that I decided to keep it as its separate chapter and have the first date be the next one. Just so it wouldn’t be so freaking long!
> 
> And yeah, I also wanted to give you a look into Toni's head and see how she is and works. Also, it's the first story where I include Janet Van Dyne. I really like the idea of her and Tony being best friends in stories (mostly because of Avengers Academy, RIP you beautifully weird and amazing game) and I wanted Toni to have a best girl friend who wasn’t Pepper, so I decided to include her. But don't worry; she and Rhodey are still also best friends.

Toni knew that this was a bad idea.

There was no idea that this wasn't going to end badly in the long run. It always did in the end.

Steve Rogers had caught her eye the moment she had walked into that damn Starbucks and saw him behind the counter. And damn, he had to be some kind of model or maybe an experiment under the government or something. It had to be illegal to be that hot. He was tall, big muscles _everywhere_ and abs that she could _see_ through that too tight t-shirt. His hair was golden and playfully tousled and he had big blue eyes, about as blue as a summer sky or the ocean.

He looked about as close to a Hercules as you could probably get. Well, a Hercules with blonde hair and looking very All-American, but still.

And so Toni had done what she always did with attractive people; flirted shamelessly with them and she also stared equally as shamelessly at his muscles, face and ass. He, however, hadn't reacted in the way she was too used to. He was blushing like crazy, stumbling over his own feet and tongue while talking to her, like it was the first time a girl was flirting with him.

It was ridiculously adorable and Toni couldn't help but find him super sweet. And his own awkward attempts at flirting back at her were equally sweet and adorable because it was so clear that he didn't know what he was doing.

But it also scared her so much that she eventually had to make up an excuse about meeting up with a friend so she could get out of there before it went too far. Yes, she was a coward and a liar, but she just couldn't handle the situation.

Whenever she flirted, she wanted the other party to either be aware that she was joking and wasn't too serious about it, or to flirt right back and she might walk away with a number she would forget or throw away, or they would spend a night in her apartment and that would be the end of that. That was about as far as her 'dating' went and she never did anything with any strings attached.

It was painfully clear that Steve didn't do 'friends with benefits' and that both unnerved her and intrigued her.

She had called up Janet immediately after having left the coffee shop and they met up back in their apartment and sat down on the couch and dug into a pint of ice cream that Janet had brought with her. Janet was one of her oldest friends, her college roommate and practically her sister and she could tell her anything. So after she told her about Steve and how her flirting with him had gone, Janet hummed and smirked at her.

"Sounds to me like he's interested in you. Like, really interested in you." Toni rolled her eyes and scooped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"Obviously, men always end up drooling over me, Jan. My tits and ass enough are reasons to make them stare, and that's before they realize I'm loaded and a genius to boot." Janet shook her head and took a spoonful for herself.

"No, no, not like that, Tones! You flirt with guys who want to have a quick fuck and they always make it clear that's what they want. When a guy starts blushing and stutter and can barely talk around you it doesn't sound like he wants a quick fuck from you."

Toni sighed and put her spoon down. "I know. That's what scares me, Jan. I know how to handle guys who want me for my body or my money, but if this guy actually is interested and maybe asks for my number or a date… what do I do?"

Janet dropped her smirk and looked at her with more sympathy, putting her spoon down and taking her hand reassuringly. "I know you're scared Toni, but when guy wants you because you because he genuinely likes you it’s not something you have to be scared off. On the contrary, it’s a good thing. This Steve might be a nice guy who knows how to treat a girl right. You never know until you try."

Toni sighed again and gripped Janet's hand back. "I don't know if I can. I’m not like you Jan, nice guys don't exist for me, you know that. They always act like they are at first, only to stab me in the back when they’ve gotten what they want. It always happens. I can't put myself through that again, especially not after-" Her voice broke and she had clear and blink hard to keep back the tears. "After Ty."

"Oh, Toni." Janet reached out and hugged her tightly and Toni was quick to hug back, burying her face in hair chestnut brown hair and fighting her hardest to keep the tears at bay. Janet was her only stable rock since coming to MIT, especially since Rhodey and Carol joined the Air Force and barely had time to see her anymore. And though she had made new friends since coming to Boston, she was so thankful for Janet, for agreeing to moving in together when both of them got accepted to schools in Boston, for being a mood lifter when she needed it and for having been there for her and with her since they were kids.

Janet squeezed her tightly and stroked a hand over her hair.

"You know I'm in your corner whatever you choose to do, Tones. But whatever you choose, I want you to know that you deserve to find love just as much as anyone else in the world."

Toni nuzzled her face into Janet's neck and let out a low, shaky breath. "Thanks Jan. But I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. Or ever."

* * *

But despite her strong words and her own underlying fears about Steve's intentions, Toni just couldn't stay away from him, which she could only try to explain that with the fact that she was an incurably curious person and she wanted to get some answers on her questions about him. So she kept walking to that Starbucks, learned the days and times he worked and struck up conversations with him and even tried some harmless flirting. At first she dialed back enough so he wouldn't get too flustered or uncomfortable, but with time she let up more and more and he became more comfortable around her and even started to flirt back, which was a bit surreal.

And then she ran into to him at MIT from time to time, sometimes in the corridors or out on the campus lawn or in the library. And, against her better judgement, she started to hang out with him there too. She would greet him with a wide smile when she met him between classes or sit with on the lawn for a bit while he was hanging out with friends, or sit with him when he sat in the library and he was trying to study and bug for hours with endless talking or joking around with him.

She kinda expected him to get annoyed with her after a while, with her relentless talking and flirting and hanging around him, but he didn't. On the contrary he seemed to enjoy her company more and more with every day. He would smile wide and brightly when he saw her smile and greet him in between classes, would gladly introduce her to old and new friends he had made and laugh at her jokes and humor her when she would talk nonstop at him in the library.

And, both the worst and most exciting thing, he was now flirting with her almost as much as she flirted with him. She tried to show it didn't mean much that she was flirting, since she playfully flirted with pretty much everyone on campus, even some girls and boys that she really didn't like, but she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that his flirting with her was genuine. That he was interested in her.

That he _liked_ her.

So no, she wasn't over her fears by now. While she wasn’t scared as that he wasn't who he appeared to be and that he would try to use her or hurt her if she let him in, but now she was sure that he was a genuinely nice and good guy. But she was still really scared, because now she was sure that she really liked him too.

Because after having hung around Steve for a few months now, she had learned a lot about him. He was a New Yorker, like her, and he liked sports and art and loved to sit outside and draw or sketch things or people or whatever else had caught his eye. He had a fiery temper and was not afraid to call out anyone who was an asshole or a bully, or throw punches when they refused to listen. But he was also sweet and kind and would gladly help anyone who needed it or asked for it. She had seen him many times helping other students or professors around, either by carrying books or lifting heavy things or get things from high spaces when they couldn't reach it. It was so ridiculously sweet and he was such a boy scout about it, but Toni found it so adorable.

So she found herself caught between a rock and a hard place; because she couldn't make herself get away from Steve but she was still terrified of being hurt by him or him leaving her when he got a glimpse under the surface and learned about all of her issues or got to see what kind of life she lived. It was one thing when assholes hurt her, because she knew they were swallow or gold diggers or wanted her body for a fuck, but if someone like Steve did it… If she let him in only for him to turn away from her and leave or even try to hurt her somehow…

She wasn't sure she could live with that.

So she tried to distract herself from it by working with her projects. She had been working for almost two months trying to create a real, actual A.I and was determined to make it work. It would be a learning robot that would do things for her around the workshop, like getting her coffee or make her smoothies or clean after her when she was too busy with work to be bothered to clean up her own messes. And it was coming along really well, until she accidently pulled on the wrong wire and the robot rotated in a 180° angle and the arm of the robot smacked her hard against the face and almost knocked her out cold as she hit the floor very hard.

"Dammit." She muttered as she climbed back up on her feet and rubbed her hand over her cheek. "Fucking hell and fucking robot piece of shit!" Once she was able to stand upright and her head and stopped spinning around, she walked over to the small fridge she kept in the workshop and grabbed an icepack to press against the sore spot on the face.

She glared over at the robot, gritting her teeth in pain as the sore spot throbbed against the icepack. "Pray to whatever God you have that I don't bruise or I’ll take you apart and turn you into a coffee blender. Or a wine rack."

But thankfully it didn't bruise, but it did hurt a bit even after she had sat with that damn icepack against her face for twenty minutes and her ass got sore from her uncomfortable as fuck chair, so she eventually got up and put it away, washed her hands a bit and decided to go grab a coffee to get a change of scenery. Which, yeah wasn't a very smart move if she wanted to get away from Steve since he worked today, but she needed to get out of the workshop and have some change in scenery.

So she changed into a clean shirt and a hoodie, grabbed her bag with her wallet and headed towards the Starbucks, the fresh autumn air cool against her face and making her wake up a little. It was still September and relatively warm but it was slowly becoming autumn and the air was becoming cooler, the leaves were going from green to yellow and orange and it was raining more and more now.

"God, a warm coffee will be sooo good in this weather."

As she walked inside the coffee shop she saw Steve stand and talk to the other guy who worked here from time to time, Sam, who were also a good friend to Steve. She smiled as she walked up behind him to surprise, but she got closer and heard what they were talking about, her smile turned into frown as she got closer and closer.

"-kidding me right now? Do you know who she is? Antonia Elizabeth Stark, daughter of Howard Stark? Billionaire, genius and CEO of one of the most successful tech conglomerates in the world? And she is clearly gonna take over that one day and revolutionize the world one day with her own genius." Steve was clearly worked up about something and it concerned and worried her for a moment that this was it, the moment where she would see Steve's true colors and how he really was shallow asshole under the adorable puppy act he'd been playing for weeks now, or that he found her annoying or a bitch but then he gestured at himself, almost dejectedly.

"And then there's me. Steve Rogers, scrappy kid from Brooklyn with no money, a bit above average intelligence and have been studying Art for almost two years and has nothing to offer anyone."

Her eyes widened. Was that how Steve saw himself? Had she been making him feel self-conscious about his own status in life? Had she been rubbing it in his face somehow?

Sam looked over his shoulder and saw her, paled a little and turned back to Steve with apprehensive eyes. "Steve…"

But Steve just cut him off and his voice rose in volume slightly. "I've got no business being anywhere near someone like Toni. She's destined to meet and marry some other genius or a lawyer or a doctor or some other successful businessman out there. She can literally have her pick with anyone!"

Okay, what? Why was Steve so upset about her dating life or who she might end up? And why the fuck did he think she should be with stiff boring lawyers or busy doctors or stingy businessmen? Sounded like a bitch.

And what the hell was that about him not having any business with her? Wasn't that up to her?

"Steve, seriously-" Sam was now looking at her a lot more than at Steve and was just seconds away from making that slicing movement over his throat to make him shut him, but Steve didn't even look at him.

"She and I are from entirely different worlds, she can have anything and anyone she wants! And I have nothing and I'll probably not have much in the future either. I have-" Steve cut himself, almost fighting back tears at this point. "I have nothing to offer her. What business do I have around someone like her?"

Toni almost stumbled back and she swallowed her, a lump forming in her throat.

He wanted her? Did he, Steven Grant Rogers, want to date her, Antonia Elizabeth Stark? He had to, right? Why else would he agonize about _'having nothing to offer her_’ or _'what business did he have around someone like her'_? But why was he so worked up about that? Toni had never cared about money or status or whatever, so why the fuck would she care if Steve was a bit poor or wouldn't become a great genius or whatever when they graduated college or ten years from today?

She took a deep breath, walked up to the counter and said, loud and clear. "Maybe you should ask her about that?"

Steve jumped almost a foot in the air and turned around, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, making for a rather funny sight but she wasn't in the mood to laugh right now. She kept her face as straight as possible and hoped it would be enough to make him nervous.

"Toni! Um… How long have you been standing there?" He looked very nervous and a bit distressed. Toni rested her elbows on the counter and rested most of her weight on it, looking Steve straight in the eyes.

"Long enough to hear you think you're not good enough to breathe the same air as me. That you think I'm too good for you." She narrowed her eyes at him, honestly offended by what he had said.

"Is that what you think of me, Steve? You think I'm so swallow that I judge my friends by their bank account? Or how many facts they can cram into their heads? Or how successful they might be ten years from now?"

_'Have I really been that bad a friend to you? Have I really made you think I'm some kind of shallow bitch who only cares about shallow shit?'_

Steve's eyes widened- if possible- even more and almost yelled, "NO!" It almost made her wince and he immediately reined himself in and said, in a much softer voice, but he was still very distressed. "No, of course not Toni, you're not swallow, you're amazing! You're smart a-and funny and brave and-"

Really? He thought she was amazing? He thought she was- No! No, bad Toni! Not the time to be flattered over simple compliments.

She just raised her eyebrow at him and folded her arms over her chest.

"And yet you felt the need to decide for me who is good enough for me? Like that choice isn't up to me? Bruce Banner is a genius and going to change the world some day. Reed Richards is a genius and will be rich and famous one day. Justin Hammer is from a rich and somewhat powerful family. Do you see me hanging around them and trying to get dates out of them?"

It almost made her puke to say all that stuff. Reed was an asshole and Justin Hammer was a pathetic little wanna-be of scientist, inventor and businessman. She wouldn't give any of those guys the time of day, let alone ask them on a date with her.

Well… okay, maybe Bruce. If he didn’t already have a crush on Natasha Romanov, she might actually have asked him out once or twice.

Steve shook his head with a sad frown on his face. "No, no of course it's up to you who you want to date or be friends with Toni, I am absolutely not trying to take that away from you. It's your choice and no one else's, but…" He suddenly trailed off and sighed despondently. "I just… didn't think you'd ever think want to date someone… someone like me. I don't have much, I mean I barely get by as it is, but…"

His voice suddenly sounded choked up and blinked heavily, like he was holding back tears, which gave Toni pause and she suddenly felt less angry and offended and more pitying. He took a deep breath and looked like he was readying himself for something.

"But I… really, really like you Toni. I think I've liked you since that first day we met. And I'd really like to be more than your friend, to take you out on a date, and treat you right and make you feel special like you deserve and-" His voice broke and just stood there, staring at her with wet eyes, still trying to blink them away.

Toni stared back at him, her eyes wide open and mouth opened slightly. Was he being serious? Of course he was, he was close to tears right now, but how could someone like Steve exist? He was so genuine and honest and sweet, he had be some kind of pipe dream she'd made up in the fantasies.

Steve suddenly seemed to deflate a little and moved to turn away from her. He looked kinda like a dog with its tail between its legs, and Toni suddenly realized how long she had been standing there with out giving him an answer, so she lunged forward and grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to her before she could stop and overthink the whole thing again. She tried to smile as sweetly as she could and she felt she had a few tears forming in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

"What if I would like that? What if I like that 'scrappy kid from Brooklyn?' What if I want to be more than friends?" She gently released his wrist and grabbed his hand with both of hers, as tightly and reassuring as she could. "What if I would like to give him a chance to sweep me off my feet?"

What the fuck was she doing? Had her stupid, moron brain forgotten all about her fears and reasons for _not_ taking this step? Yes, Steve might be genuine and really like her, but he could still turn his back on her when he saw her many flaws and faults and issues. What was she thinking? Abort, abandon mission, stop, cease and desist-!

"Y-You… you mean it?" Steve croaked out, sounding about his disbelieving as Toni was about her own line of thinking at the moment, but he sounded so sweet and so incredibly hopeful that she couldn't do anything else but grab his hand tighter and smile wider at him.

Because, as she just realized for herself, she _did_ mean every single word she just said. She really liked him back and, as scared as she was, she wanted to at least give him a chance to surprise her. To see if he really was a nice guy and could treat her as well as he said he wanted to.

"Of course I do. Why do you think I keep bugging you at the library when you try to study? Why do you think I come here every day you work and sit her until you leave for the day? My attention and time is very valuable, Steve, I don't give this much of it to just anyone." She smirked teasingly at him. "Like you said yourself, I'm gonna be a household name one day and I can't just spend too much time talking to low-life garbage that don't matter. Like Hammer."

Okay, yes, she needed to break up the tension with a little humor, but all this emotional talk was getting a little much for her, she needed to make him laugh a little. And she did manage to startle a laugh out of him and he looked a little more relaxed now. Then he swallowed loudly and licked his lips, covering her hands with the hand she wasn't holding.

"So… then, would you-" Toni leaned in a little closer, waiting for him to just ask her already before her scared, lizard brain would catch up with her and make her run away from him before he could say it.

"Toni, would you like to… go out… on a date... with me?" Steve was red like a tomato in the face and sweating like crazy at the moment, like he was afraid she would slay him and not just say no.

But she just smiled at him and tried to look as calming and reassuring as she could, squeezing his hand between her own. "I would love to, Steve. How about we meet up here, maybe around 7pm?"

Steve's eyes widened in pure shook, looking to be completely blown away by her answer and "Sure, I'll be there." Toni just smirked and got up on her toes and leaned in close to his face.

"I'm counting on it, Rogers. Otherwise I'll hunt you down and drag you out with me." And then, before she could stop herself or overthink it, she pressed a kiss to his cheek before she pulled away, grabbed her bag and got up from her seat.

"7pm, Rogers. Don't be late." She then waved a quick goodbye at Sam and then walked out of the Starbucks without another word or look back at Steve. It wasn't until she walked for a minute or so and was far enough away from store so no one could see her that she realized what she had just done.

_'Oh my fuck, I have a date tonight. With Steve Rogers!’_ Holy fuck, she hadn't been on a real date in years and she had very good reasons for not wanting to date and stay away from commitment. With anyone. She couldn't do this; it would only end in tears! She should turn back and say that she just remembered that had a thing tonight and couldn't make it and just never bring up the idea of a date ever again. Maybe he would forget about and they could just stay as good friends and-

But Steve had looked so damn hopeful when she said she wanted to give him a chance. And so happy when she'd said yes when he finally asked. If she went back in and cancelled or stood him up tonight, it might break his heart.

Toni Stark was a lot of things but wasn't such a callous and horrible bitch that she could hurt someone she had grown to care about that much in such a horrible way. It’d be like kicking a puppy with a ball in their mouth that wanted to play fetch. It was not only mean, it was cruel beyond belief and totally unjustified. She couldn’t possibly do it.

No, she'd have to go through with it. Hey, maybe Steve would realize that she wasn't who he thought she was and wouldn't ask for any second dates? Just because she cared about him didn't mean that he would care about her once he saw her true colors. Might spare him the effort and heartache to cut it off before it could grow into something that would hurt them both.

Then again, what if it did turn out amazing? What if he could see past everything others saw as wrong with her and grow to love her as she was? What if he really was sweet and kind despite every flaw and fault she had?

What if they could be good for each other?

Toni sighed and took out her phone. She wouldn't get anywhere going back and forth with herself like this. She needed advice. She called Janet, just like she had done after that first day after meeting Steve.

"Hey Jan, you busy? Um, well you see I… uh, I kinda have a date tonight. I might need a little advice."

Toni wasn't sure Janet actually heard the last part of it, because she was too busy squealing very loudly- and very _high-pitched_\- into the phone.

* * *

Janet had come running out of class the second it was over and practically dragged Toni back to their apartment, sat her down on her bed and squeeing at her to tell her everything. And if Toni wasn't so used to Janet and her tendency to be a bit much at times, or her talking a mile a minute or sometimes acting like a child in a woman's body (not that she had any room to complain about any of those things) she probably wouldn't have been so comfortable just sitting back against the headboard of the bed and start telling her about how she had gone to Steve's Starbucks to get a coffee and walked away with a date.

Jan smiled so widely that her face almost split in two and her eyes sparkled. “Oh my gosh, Toni you asked him out! You! That is so amazing, I’m so proud of you!” She flung herself and Toni and wrapped her arms around her arms around her neck, squeezing tightly. “You _never_ ask guys out on genuine dates, this is a huge step forward for you!”

Toni coughed and tried to laugh it off, despite Janet’s tight hug making it a bit difficult to breathe, and gently pulled away from the embrace. “Thanks Jan, you’re sweet. But technically _he_ asked _me_ out, you know. Like, he was the one who asked ‘do you wanna go out’ and not me.”

Janet rolled her eyes and smacked her on the shoulder. “Well _yeah_, but he wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t pushed him too. _You_ told him that you would love to go out him. _You_ said you wanted to give him a chance to surprise you and sweep you off your feet! He wouldn’t have asked you if you hadn’t caught him talking about you and told him that you liked him!” Her eyes and face softened and she placed an arm around her shoulders. “That is a big thing for you. I don’t think you’ve ever been that honest with a guy that you liked before. It’s amazing that you’re moving forward and becoming braver. I’m really, really happy for you.”

She rested her head on Toni’s shoulder and Toni smiled softly, leaning her head against Janet’s and they sat like that for a while. “Thanks Jan. It really means a lot that you’re saying this.” Janet reached out, took her hand squeezed it.

“You’re my sister, Toni. I’ll always be in your corner, just like you’ve been in mine.” She squeezed her hand again and then sat back up again. “So, where will you go?” Toni shrugged and grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest while also fiddling with the seams on the pillowcase.

“I don’t know, actually. We just said we’d meet up at the Starbucks at 7pm tonight.” Janet’s smile froze and she shifted a little closer to her.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy? I thought you really liked the guy.” Toni sighed and looked down at the pillow she was still hugging.

“I do. But _fuck_ Janet, I’m really scared. What if I’m wrong about him? What if he really turns out to be a total asshole just like so many others have? What if I let him in and let him see who I am deep down and then he hurts me? I can’t go through another Ty, Jan. I… I just can’t.”

Janet cooed and crawled up to sit beside her, hugging her close again. “I know Tones. But I really don’t think he’s a bad guy. Based on everything you’ve said about him, based on what he said when he didn’t know you were there, I think he really likes you. You should at least give him a chance to surprise you before you decide he’s no good.”

Toni sighed and blinked hard to keep back the tears. “… and what if he doesn’t like me? What if he is everything I think he is and I fall for him but he decides that I’m not good enough for him?” Tears started to form and she bit the inside of her cheek to try and fight them back.

Janet hugged her tightly and stroke her hair gently. “Aw, Toni… of course he will. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for, you’re smart, brave, loyal, generous and funny and any guy in the world would be fucking lucky to have you. And if Steve doesn’t see that then I say fuck him, that’s his loss. But you deserve the best guy Toni. You deserve to find the best guy ever who’ll treat you right and like the queen you are.”

Toni looked up from the pillow and her best friend, a few tears falling from her eyes, but not necessarily from fear or sadness. “Thanks Jan, you’re the best.” Janet punched her lightly and smirked, promptly lightening the mood.

“I know I am! You’re damn lucky that I’m here to look after you and boost your ego when you’re being stupid, you big baby.” Toni chuckled and moved to wrap her arms around her again, resting her chin on Janet’s shoulder and Jan quickly reciprocated the gesture.

They sat like that for a while, just holding each other and Toni felt much better when they finally pulled away and there were no traces left of any tears in her eyes. Janet smiled and sat back against the headboard.

“So, anything else you need me to help you with? Need more ego boosting? Maybe another hug or for me to march over to Steve and tell him to be nice to you, ‘cause I will, you know I will. Yeah he might be big and strong, but I’m tougher than I look! I can totally K.O him if he hurts you Toni and I will if he does!”

Toni laughed and shook her head fondly. God, she loved Janet so much. “No, no that’s fine.” She then bit her lip and looked down at her covers. “But, there is one thing you can do. See, whenever I go out, I attract guys who want me for my body and looks and I know how to look in order to get that. But… I haven’t been on a real, actual date in years…” Janet stared at her with wide, happy and excited eyes.

“Say no more, Toni, I’m on it like stripes on a wasp!” She jumped off the bed and ran towards the closet, ripping the doors open. Toni had a whole lot of clothes- probably more than she actually wore but hey, you never know- and it took a while before Janet started to talk again as she looked through her many dresses, jeans and nice shirts.

“Okay, so what we wanna do here is make you look nice but not too much so you scare him off before you actually go on the date. Since you never actually said anything about it being fancy, we’ll have to assume it’s somewhat casual. But you also want to make yourself look nice and presentable so you look like you’re taking this seriously. If you show up on a first date with a t-shirt, jeans and unwashed hair, you’ll look like you don’t care about it, which is never how you want to start a date.” She looked over a blue dress with a low neckline and a very high slit, shook her head and hung it back before going back to looking.

Toni chuckled and shook her head, moving to sit cross-legged as she watched her best friend rummage through her closet with an amused quirk on her lips. “I’ll keep that in mind for the future, thanks.” She looked over the mirror and brushed her fingers through her hair. While she wasn’t too dirty or smelly, she should probably shower before she went out tonight. If nothing else to make a good impression on him, and because she had been working in the workshop and still had some engine grease and dirt on her face, hands and under her nails.

Janet made a happy sound and when Toni looked back she saw her standing with a nice, red sleeveless dress that reached to the knees. It was simple yet nice and elegant enough to wear for a nice night out but not too outrageous or revealing or eye-catching as a lot of her other party clothes.

“This is perfect! Simple but beautiful, and you totally suit in red, Toni! Add some silver earrings, maybe some light makeup and it’ll be perfect for a first date. You’ll be absolutely beautiful in this, how come you’ve never worn this before?” Toni got off the bed and walked up to her, fingering on the soft fabric and looked it over. She didn’t remember buying this dress or even getting it as a gift, but it was probably a gift from her mother or maybe some other friend had gotten it for her as a birthday gift or something. But Toni just had too many clothes to remember where and when she’d gotten everything.

“Don’t know, actually. I don’t remember buying this. It’s probably something my mom bought me or something.” She shrugged and placed a hand on Janet’s shoulder. “Thanks Jan, this is great.” It was a bit simple for a night out for her taste, but this was kinda new territory for her anyway so she decided to trust Janet’s judgement for this.

Janet smiled and patted her hand. “Anytime, Tones. Now, you go and take shower, clean up and make yourself look nice. I’ll find a nice pair of shoes and some jewelry that goes with this. And… no, you know what, I’ll help you with your makeup too, just to make it easier.”

Toni rolled her eyes only slightly insulted. “Jan, I can actually do my makeup without looking like a clown by the end of it, you know that right?” Janet rolled her eyes back at her and then pushed her towards the door.

“Yeah, yeah just go already! We only have two hours before your date, you need to hurry!” Toni rolled her eyes again, but grabbed her bathrobe and got into the bathroom to take a quick shower and fresh herself up, blow-drying her hair and even painting her nails red to match her dress, because why not? When she got back to her room Janet had chosen a pair of heels, a pair of big silver earrings and matching necklace while also having taken out Toni’s makeup kit, brushes, tools, lipsticks and mascaras at the ready.

She was pushed down on a chair and Janet immediately got to work. Though she didn’t do much aside from putting some rouge on her cheeks, highlighted her eyebrows and put some red lipstick on her lips and mascara on her eyelashes she still took her sweet time to get it done. She also grabbed a brush and started to brush through her hair and curling it lightly.

When Janet was done and Toni got a chance to look in the mirror, she was actually kinda surprised by how she looked. Yeah, she was pretty, she already knew that, but even with very little makeup on her and her hair only lightly curled she suddenly looked more… naturally beautiful. Yeah okay, she had makeup on but not much to be super, in your face or even too noticeable, except for the bright red lipstick.

Janet smiled brightly and grabbed her shoulders from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder and looking at her reflection in the mirror. “You look so beautiful, Toni. I am taking full credit for this, just so you know, but you’re still really beautiful.” Toni smiled brightly back at her. Yeah she looked beautiful but she also _felt_ really beautiful.

“Thank you, Jan. I might have hire you to be my makeup-girl in the future, this is really good.” Janet laughed and lightly smacked her shoulder before letting go of her.

“You couldn’t afford me, Toni. Even with your dad’s billions of dollars.” She then grabbed the dress, still hanging on the hanger, and handed it over to her. “Now get dressed, you’ll need to get going soon.”

Toni took the dress, pulled it on and let Janet help her with the zipper in the back before pulling on her heels and putting on the necklace and earrings before also looking into her jewelry box and grabbed a big silver ring that she slid on her finger. If Steve did get handsy or try to do things without her consent, she’d like to at least be able to split his lip as well as stab him with her heels. Just in case.

Once she was done she took a long look in the mirror, smiled and nodded to her reflection before turning to Janet, gesturing at herself with a smile. “Well, how do I look?” Janet smiled and grabbed a purse, dropping her phone, wallet and keys into it before handing it to her.

“Like a queen. Now, you go and have a good time and,” She placed her hands on Toni’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Don’t overthink this Toni. Just try to relax and see if this guy can surprise you and actually be nice to you. Don’t overthink this, just sit back and see what happens before you start worrying about this.” She pressed kiss to her cheek and smiled. “Have fun.”

Toni stared at her for a second, unsure how to respond, before smiling back and hugging her. “Thanks Janet, I will.” And so she took the purse and her jacket and got out of the apartment, only stopping once she got out on the street.

_‘God, what was she doing? She couldn’t do this, she wasn’t meant to find love, she already knew this! Whenever she tried to find love it always ended up in heartache and pain! This was a terrible idea, she should just-‘_

She shook her head and smacked herself on the cheek with her purse. _‘Get a hold of yourself, woman! You can do this; it’s just a date for God’s sake. You’ll be fine. Listen to Janet, just try to relax and don’t overthink this.’ _She took a deep breath and made her way towards the Starbucks.

_‘Well, here goes nothing.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this turned out to be longer than I had intended it to be, but I’d say it turned out alright. I hope you liked this and please leave kudos, bookmark and comment!
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested, Toni’s dress looks like this: https://www.ever-pretty.com/products/sleeveless-v-neck-short-party-dress-ep03989

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1, done! Hope you’ll stick around for chapter 2, where they go on the date. Thank you for reading and please leave kudos, bookmark and comment!


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